On Robert Walter, His 20th Congress, The New Record & Jazz Fest in New Orleans

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It’s challenging enough to describe live music in words that entice the reader to go out and buy a ticket to a show. Try describing a record you have never heard! But when it comes to funk and soul-jazz and the artists who play in this genre, nothing is certain except that they perform a groove that is familiar to us and one that we want to come back to time and time again.

One minute we have a notion as to what the music will be like and the next minute our pre-conceived ideas are in the wind. That is one reason we keep following the artists we love and continually get surprised with each and every note, rhythm and transition. It’s the same as it never was!

I caught up with Robert Walter, master of the B3 and most any keyboard he puts under his fingers for that matter, and asked him to tell us about his new 20th Congress record that’s planned for release this fall. You may know Robert from his works with the Greyboy Allstars, Stanton Moore Trio, and recently Mike Gordon. I had noticed his photo from his session at The Parlor in New Orleans that he recently posted on Facebook, and of course like all super- fans with inquiring minds and no advanced tracks to listen to… I asked “What’s it like”?

The answer was surprising: “Barb – it will be like nothing you have ever heard from me before. Wild, unique and not the ‘usual’ funk you will expect. This is a new sound for me and I haven’t been this excited in a long time.”

Keep in mind that Robert Walter is first a composer and then a collaborator. He crafts melodies that we can’t help but play over and over in our heads. He is brilliant that way. Add some funk to it, you know the danceable, syncopated, in-the-pocket kind with the heavy organ that Robert is known for, and we all get why it’s hard to miss any of his performances.

And now add the wild-card description from Robert himself, that it won’t be like anything we have ever heard and now –as Super-Fans we have a show not to be missed!

Catch the ONLY Robert Walter’s 20th Congress performance during the 2017 New Orleans Jazz Fest on Saturday April 29, 2017 at the Blue Nile presented as part of the 12th Annual Backbeat Jazz Fest Series. For more info and how to buy tickets visit us at www.funkybatz.com.